Tag based knowledge system for healthcare enterprises

• US 9,928,343 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2007
• Issued: 03/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tagnos, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Tagnos, Inc.
• Inventors: Bhavani, Neeraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Chng, Joy
• Application Number:
  US11/733,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20090106692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,005 Days
• Field of Search: 705 2- 3
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

Contemplated systems and methods provide an integration platform to facilitate the exchange of information between RFID tagged objects and non-RFID systems. In especially preferred aspects, RFID tagged objects include patients, personnel, and assets of a healthcare facility, while preferred non-RFID systems include asset management systems, timekeeping systems, electronic medical records systems, and hospital and pharmacy information systems. Contemplated systems and methods will apply rules to associate RFID information with events, which will then be correlated with appropriate steps that can be effected in a varied and automated manner. In further preferred aspects, RFID technology is employed to upgrade patient telemetry to provide positional information the hospital system.

Claims

1. A method for deploying an automated scheduling system within a healthcare enterprise, the automated scheduling system running on a computer processing unit that includes hardware and software, the method comprising:

tagging a patient with a first RFID tag;

tagging a healthcare asset with a second RFID tag;

affixing more than one RFID tag to the healthcare asset;

placing a plurality of RFID readers within the enterprise, the readers configured to cooperate (a) with the first RFID tag to send to the scheduling system location and identification information of the patient, and (b) with the second RFID tag to send to the scheduling system location and identification information of the healthcare asset;

submitting a first rule to the automated scheduling system configured to cause the computer processing unit to automatically send a first electronic message to a first staff member based upon the location and identification information of the patient; and

correlating a physical proximity of the first and second tags as an antecedent step to delivering a clinical service to the patient;

wherein the first staff member is not the healthcare asset;

wherein the first RFID tag further comprises at least one of an Ultra-Wide band and Ultrasound frequency capability.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising tagging at least one of an electronic device, a staff member, a mechanical device, or another patient with an RFID tag.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first RFID tag is a different type of tag than the second RFID tag.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the information sent to the scheduling system further comprises physical parameters data selected from the group consisting of an environmental parameter and time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information sent to the scheduling system further comprises operational data selected from the group consisting of on/off status, functional status, maintenance status, analytic data of a clinical test, and a replenishment trigger signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least 80% of the information sent to the scheduling system is refreshed at least every 10 minutes.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic message comprises a first procedural step.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the healthcare asset is one of a medical care provider, a medical equipment, a drug, or a document.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the healthcare asset is a combination of more than one of a medical care provider, a medical equipment, a drug, or a document.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer processing unit sends the first electronic message to more than one staff member.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer processing unit sends the first electronic message to the first staff member and a second electronic message to a second staff member.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the clinical service is at least one of administering a drug, using a medical supply, verifying a specimen, or performing a procedure.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein more than one procedural step is associated with the first electronic message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the first rule triggers the first electronic message and a second rule triggers a second electronic message.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer processing unit sending a second electronic message to one of at least a second staff member, a computer system, an automated machine, or a communication system.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic message comprises a billing data for the patient.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic message comprises the location information of the healthcare asset.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer processing unit sending a second electronic message comprising a set of staffing attributes to a staff timekeeping system.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic message instructs the first staff member to use a piece of equipment to perform a procedural step.

20. The method of claim 8, wherein the first procedural step comprises retrieving the healthcare asset.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising tagging the staff member with a third RFID tag.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the healthcare asset comprises a medical information regarding the patient.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the medical information is selected from the list consisting of a medical history, a diagnosis, a drug listing, a radiographic image, and a healthcare plan information.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a positional attribute with the second RFID tag by combining a telemetry unit with the second RFID tag.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of RFID readers has a resolution less than five feet.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RFID readers has a resolution below five feet.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of RFID readers are accurate to at least one of a room, a sub-room, or a bed level.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the first electronic message on a handheld device.

29. An automated scheduling system in a healthcare enterprise, comprising:

an RFID receiver configured to receive;

a first set of RFID information from a first RFID tag, the first set of RFID information including a first location attribute and a first identification attribute, wherein the first RFID tag is tagged to a patient; and

a second set of RFID information from a second RFID tag, the second set of RFID information including a second location attribute and a second identification attribute, wherein the second RFID tag is tagged to a healthcare asset;

wherein the first RFID tag is a different type of tag than the second RFID tag;

a computer processing unit that includes hardware and software, communicatively coupled to the RFID receiver;

wherein the computer processing unit is configured to;

receive a rule, wherein the rule is entered via a user interface;

wherein the user interface is configured to allow a user to select the rule via graphical menus; and

associate the first location attribute and the first identification attribute with a first message based on the rule;

send the first message to a first staff member based upon the rule and the first and second sets of RFID information; and

wherein correlating a physical proximity of the first and second tags by the system is an antecedent step to delivering a clinical service to the patient.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising tagging at least one of an electronic device, a staff member, a mechanical device, or another patient with an RFID tag.

31. The system of claim 29, wherein the first set of RFID information includes physical parameters data selected from the group consisting of an environmental parameter and time.

32. The system of claim 29, wherein a portion of the first set of RFID information is the same as a portion of the second set of RFID information.

33. The system of claim 29, wherein the first message comprises a first procedural step.

34. The system of claim 29, wherein the first RFID tag further comprises at least one of an Ultra-Wide band and Ultrasound frequency capability.

35. The system of claim 29, wherein the first message is sent to more than one staff member.

36. The system of claim 29, wherein the healthcare asset is one of a medical care provider, a medical equipment, a drug, or a document.

37. The system of claim 29, wherein more than one message is sent to more than one staff member.

38. The system of claim 29, wherein the first message instructs the first staff member to perform a first procedural step, and a second message instructs a second staff member to perform a second procedural step.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein the healthcare asset is a combination of more than one of a medical care provider, a medical equipment, a drug, or a document.

40. The system of claim 29, wherein the computer processing unit sends more than one message based upon the rule and the first and second sets of RFID information.

41. The system of claim 29, wherein a second message is sent to a computer system to execute a first procedural step.